Beyond the Blackboard: 42 Alternative Jobs for Education Majors

A degree in Education is often seen as synonymous with a career teaching a classroom full young people. While that’s certainly not a bad assumption—what other job offers you the chance to make a difference and have snow days?—not everyone in education ends up in front of a blackboard.

Many professionals with degrees in Education work behind the scenes, whether in school administration, curriculum design, or education policy. There also is an impressive array of alternatives to the traditional school environment, such as teaching online or teaching English abroad.

In addition, as with most liberal arts fields, Education majors will find their degrees to be flexible. The skills developed, such as the ability to analyze new information, to communicate effectively, and to organize and lead large groups, are highly valued and highly transferrable. Education majors sometimes overlook career opportunities in the private sector and nonprofit organizations.

To illustrate the many options for Education majors, we’ve come up with several dozen alternatives to teaching. Each career listed has its pros and cons. Some may require additional training, and the pay varies widely between them. While the perks may not necessarily include snow days, they do have one thing in common with teaching in a classroom: these jobs all offer ample opportunity to make a difference.

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